Medical assistance in dying: For health professionals and regulators

The Model MAID Practice Standard, implementing medical assistance in dying, education and training, and reporting requirements for health professionals and health care regulators.

On this page

• Model MAID Practice Standard
• Advice to the Profession
• Guidance on reporting requirements
• Implementing the framework
• Professional training

Model MAID Practice Standard

Health Canada convened an independent MAID Practice Standards Task Group in September 2022. They were tasked with developing a practice standard for MAID based on recommendations from the Expert Panel on MAID and Mental Illness. The task group has developed a model MAID Practice Standard and supporting documents which provide guidance to support complex MAID assessments.

Provincial and territorial regulatory bodies for physicians and nurses can draw upon these resources to support harmony and consistency in MAID practice. Regulatory bodies operate under provincial or territorial statutes, and are responsible for:

• overseeing clinical activities of medical practitioners
• ensuring compliance with applicable:
  • law
  • medical ethics
  • prevailing norms of practice associated with the category of health professional for which they have responsibility

As such, regulatory bodies perform an essential oversight function in health systems across the country. Practice standards covering specific aspects of medicine indicate what practitioners must do, what they must not do, and what they may do in various areas of clinical practice. If there are questions about the appropriateness of a practitioner's activities, the regulatory body uses practice standards and general medical ethics in order to determine if a medical practitioner has acted appropriately.

Model Practice Standard for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)

Advice to the Profession

The Task Group also prepared a document entitled 'Advice to the Profession' which elaborates upon specific clinical questions raised by the Model Standard. This document is not intended to be a clinical practice guideline. Rather, it is a companion document to the Standard such as is often drafted by regulators to provide additional guidance and clarification.

This document is accompanied by an appendix which provides some additional helpful clinical resources for MAID assessors and providers.

Advice to the Profession: Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)

Guidance on reporting requirements

The Regulations for the Monitoring of Medical Assistance in Dying require certain professionals to provide information related to requests for, and the provision of, medical assistance in dying. These professionals are:

• physicians
• nurse practitioners
• preliminary assessors
• pharmacists
• pharmacy technicians

Health Canada provides a guidance document to support these health care professionals in fulfilling their responsibilities under the Regulations.

Learn more:

• Guidance Document: Reporting requirements under the Regulations
• Regulations for the Monitoring of MAID

Implementing the framework

Health Canada is providing additional information for healthcare providers that:

• addresses changes to the law, which came into effect on March 17, 2021
• builds on questions from provinces, territories and practitioners
• explains how they can consistently apply the framework to assessments and delivery of MAID

Medical assistance in dying: Implementing the framework

Professional training

Medical practitioners and other health professionals must work within their scope of practice when providing any health care service, including medical assistance in dying. Your regulatory body can provide more information through practice standards, medical ethics and guidance related to specific areas of practice.

Support and resources

Canadian MAID Curriculum Project

The Canadian MAID Curriculum Project is led by the Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers (CAMAP) and funded by the Government of Canada.

The Canadian MAID Curriculum was officially launched on September 12, 2023.

News release

This Curriculum is the first comprehensive, nationally accredited, bilingual MAID education program available to licensed physicians and nurse practitioners across the country.

It includes a series of 7 modules that cover 8 topic areas covering foundational and advanced MAID concepts, including MAID and mental disorders, to help achieve a safe and consistent approach to MAID assessments and provisions across Canada.

This project will:

• educate new MAID practitioners
• advance the skills of existing MAID practitioners
• ensure access to high quality MAID information and training for interested health care practitioners

Learn more: Canadian MAID Curriculum